"All Palestinians are equal, but some Palestinians are more equal than others," as Palestinian leader Jibril Rajoub receives medical treatment in Israel despite the PA's announcement in March it had ended all medical care for Palestinians in Israel.

Israel's Generosity:

Israel gives Rajoub medical care even though he has:

called to murder Israelis

said murderers are "crowns on the head of every Palestinian"

prohibited Palestinian participation in sports with Israelis

demanded that Arab and Islamic states "cease all forms of normalization with Israel in the field of sports"

asked Spanish football team not to play in "occupied Jerusalem" just last week

By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

PA Favoritism:

Ignoring the PA's recent decision to cancel all medical treatment in Israel for Palestinians, senior Palestinian leader Jibril Rajoub is undergoing treatment in an Israeli hospital. According to Israeli media, Rajoub recently became ill and chose to be treated in the Israeli hospital Ichilov in Tel Aviv. [Mako (Israeli TV), May 9, 2019]

This demonstrates that the PA's decision to cancel the medical treatments in Israel only applies to ordinary Palestinians and not to Palestinian leaders. To paraphrase George Orwell's Animal Farm: "All Palestinians are equal, but some Palestinians are more equal than others."

The PA decided to end all medical care for Palestinians in Israel following Israel's decision to deduct from the tax money Israel collects for the PA the amount equal to the PA's salary payments for terrorists in jail. This decision, to prioritize salaries to terrorists over medical care for the general Palestinian population, thousands of whom until now were being treated in Israel annually, took effect on March 26, 2019, as announced by PA Ministry of Health Spokesman Osama Al-Najjar. Al-Najjar explained that "the decision is political par excellence, and comes in response to Israel deducting sums from the money that it collects for us." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 27, 2019]

Israeli Generosity:
This Palestinian favoritism has been met with generosity on the Israeli side, which has willingly accepted to treat Rajoub despite the fact that he has openly called to murder Israelis and has made it his key issue to advocate against "normalization" with Israel in sports:

Rajoub called to murder Israelis

Rajoub was the most vocal of the Palestinian leaders in his support for terror and explicitly called to murder Israelis during the Palestinian terror wave in 2015-2016, the so-called "Knife Intifada," which saw months of murderous Palestinian attacks, including stabbings, shootings, and car rammings.

But now that Rajoub is sick, he seems happy to be treated by the same Israelis he encouraged Palestinians to murder.

Rajoub prohibits "normalization" with Israel in sports

As if this absurdity wasn't enough, Rajoub has also made it his key personal issue to be against "normalization" with Israel. As Chairman of the PLO Supreme Council for Youth and Sport Affairs, Rajoub has prohibited Palestinian athletes from engaging in any sports activities with Israelis. Recently he demanded that "the Arab and Islamic states cease every form of normalization with Israel in the field of sports" [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 29, 2019] and he "demanded" that the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid "not play against the racist club Beitar Jerusalem" because the match was to take place in what Rajoub referred to as "an occupied Palestinian area." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 10, 2019] In reality, the match was to take place in West Jerusalem.

But now that Rajoub is sick, he is willing to bend the rules: "Normalization" in sports - which benefits the general Palestinian population and fosters peace - is bad and prohibited, but "normalization" in health care for Rajoub - is wonderful and allowed.

The following are longer excerpts of some of Rajoub's statements above:

Headline: "Rajoub demanded that the Atlético Madrid club not play in occupied Jerusalem"

"[Fatah Central Committee Secretary and Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association] Jibril Rajoub demanded that the Spanish club Atlético Madrid not play against the racist club Beitar Jerusalem on [May] 21 [2019].

Rajoub said in his letter to the Atlético Madrid club management: 'We have learned that you want to play in an occupied Palestinian area (the friendly match is to be played at Teddy Stadium, located in West Jerusalem -Ed.), which arouses our concern. We do not oppose playing in Israel, but not in occupied Jerusalem.' [...]

Rajoub noted that the match will be held in a stadium that was built on the lands of the village Al-Maliha, one of the 500 Palestinian villages that Israel, the occupying authority, destroyed during the great Nakba (i.e., "the catastrophe," Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) that it committed against our people in 1948, 71 years ago."

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 10, 2019]

Jibril Rajoub also holds the following positions: Head of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA).

Headline: "Rajoub demands that the Arab and Islamic states cease all forms of normalization with Israel in the field of sports, as long as it does not honor the Olympic Charter and does not recognize the Palestinian athletes' right to move [about freely]"

"Chairman of the [PLO] Supreme Council for Youth and Sport Affairs [and Fatah Central Committee Secretary] Jibril Rajoub demanded that the Arab and Islamic states cease every form of normalization with Israel in the field of sports, as long as it does not honor the Olympic Charter and does not recognize the Palestinian athletes' right to move [about freely]. [He also demanded] to boycott all sport and youth institutions located in the illegal settlements, and those that are active or advancing their activities within the settlements. He said this yesterday (Sunday) [April 28, 2019] during the opening ceremony of the Doha - The Capital of Islamic Youth 2019 events, which are being organized by the Qatari Ministry of Culture and Sport...

Rajoub condemned all of the Israeli steps concerning the deprivation of the right to free movement of the Palestinians in general and the youth and athletes in particular, and particularly the right to reach Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip."